Dean’s Message
Greetings! I hope your summer is going well. As we prepare for a new academic year, we want to keep you informed of what’s new in the College of Applied Sciences and Arts. During the 2015 Spring Commencement, the college graduated 587 students, which was approximately 18.7 percent of the overall SIU Carbondale graduates in spring. This was among the largest of the spring graduating classes in CASA for the last several years. Among these 587 graduates, 488 received bachelor’s degrees, 33 received master’s degrees, and 66 received associate’s degrees. CASA is not only graduating students in quantity, but also with top quality. During the spring commencement, 117 students wore special medallions and honor cords reflecting significant academic achievement. Among these 117 students earning recognition, 70 received Cum Laude distinction, signifying a cumulative GPA of 3.5 to 3.749; 31 received Magna Cum Laude distinction, signifying a cumulative GPA of 3.75 to 3.899, and 15 students received Summa Cum Laude distinction, carrying a cumulative GPA of 3.9 to 4.0. There were also several students in the University Honors Program who maintained an average GPA of 3.3 or better, and more than 50 students with multiple degrees.
While final enrollment numbers are still a few weeks away, enrollment for fall 2015 looks strong for our college as evidenced in housing contracts and new student orientations. Our faculty and staff are proud to welcome our new students to the college in August. We are excited to help them realize the promise of potential they bring to the community.
Building on the success of our inaugural Applied Sciences and Arts Research Symposium last winter, we will host our 2015 ASA Research Symposium on Saturday, Nov. 21. The symposium is open to all professionals and to all faculty and students from any college and university. The sessions will feature presentations, posters, and panel discussions including, but not limited to, the following disciplines:
- Allied Health
- Architecture, Interior Design, and Fashion Design and Merchandising
- Automotive Technology
- Aviation Management and Flight
- Aviation Technologies
- Information Systems & Applied Technologies
As you can imagine, an event this size can be costly. Therefore, we are currently soliciting sponsorships for the symposium. There are various levels of sponsorship. All levels of sponsorship include recognition on the symposium’s website and in the conference program material.
- An exclusive diamond-level sponsorship: With a commitment of $2,000, we will set up a booth for your company to display marketing materials, a special web page linking to your company’s website, and arrange for your specific display needs. Only one diamond-level sponsor will be selected.
- A gold-level sponsorship: With a commitment of $500, we will display your company name and/or logo on a banner in a common area, and your company name will also be included before and after seminars on projection screens.
- A silver-level sponsorship: With a commitment of $250, we will display your company name and/or logo before and after the seminars on projection screens.
- A bronze-level sponsorship: With a commitment of $100, we will print your company name and/or logo on the website and conference program material.
This request may be unconventional as College support goes, but a main goal of the symposium is to showcase CASA’s wonderful interdisciplinary similarities and collaborations. We are proud of CASA and its programs. We are the second largest college on campus, and our graduates enjoy one of the highest starting salaries of all eight SIUC colleges. Our students graduate with specific skills and are prepared for employment. Many of our graduates encounter the same challenges, regardless of what degree they obtained. The ASA Symposium serves to share these interdisciplinary similarities and, through its presentations and poster sessions, illustrates how different disciplines address common issues, such as communication and problem solving. For more information, please refer to the following link: https://research.asa.siu.edu/symposium/index.php.
Read on to learn more about all of the exciting happenings in the College of Applied Sciences and Arts this spring and summer.
Enjoy the rest of your summer, and thank you for your continuous support.
Andy Wang, Ph.D.
Professor and Dean